Oct
2017

Book Review: Final Girls by Riley Sager

categories: Books, Reviews

Final GirlsFinal Girls by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. And oh, what a read this has been. It has been about a month since I finished this book and I am still not over it.
Quincy, Lisa and Sam have been dubbed “Final Girls” by the press. Each of the girls were the only remaining survivor of three different massacres. It’s been a decade since Quincy and her friends were attacked at a cabin in the wood and she has put the past behind her. She has a great life, a great career and an amazing boyfriend. Her life is pretty perfect… Until she finds out that Lisa has killed herself. Lisa was a motivational speaker and possibly the most upbeat of the Final Girls. Her death leads to Sam showing up to meet Quincy in person. As the remaining Final Girls bond, two things quickly become clear- 1) Quincy is not as okay as she thought she was and 2) Sam can’t be trusted. Quincy may be done with her past but her past is certainly not done with her.
This novel had me glued to my seat. The plot was compelling and the writing was great. I also enjoyed the many plot twists. This novel was unexpected but so enjoyable. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. If you enjoy mystery novels and thrillers, you will love this book.

View all my reviews


Oct
2017

October Book Haul

categories: Books

My October book haul is pretty sad. I bought fewer books than usual. This was partially because I fell in love with a box of Archie comics and wanted them all. This was also because there were no YA Books at the sale. This is my haul:


Even though I wanted all the comics, I needed to be an adult and budget. If I took the comics, I needed to buy less books. Eventually my mother and I compromised and divided the cost of our books equally. We just bought the comics with a large collection of Nora Roberts books. This is my complete SPCA book haul:

I was really sad that I didn’t find any YA so I went to Bargain Books. Still no YA that I didn’t own. I went home really sad.

And then I went back to Bargain Books the next day because my dad was in the area. Don’t judge me! This is my haul:

With the exception of “Traitor to the Throne”, all these books were on sale. I’m incredibly proud of my budget-book-buying skills. Feel free to hire me to help you treat yo shelf at discount prices.

What books did you buy most recently? What are you excited to read this month? I’d love to know below. 


Oct
2017

Life Update: Me, My Shelf and I

categories: Books

There’s been lots of exciting things happening for me recently so I thought I’d do a blog post about some of them. 

First of all, I’ve finally gotten a permanent contract at work. This made me really happy since from the second I started work about six months ago, I knew that I loved my job. It’s kinda scary since it feels like I’m finally a serious working adult and I don’t know how to deal with that. I’m not equipped to be an adult. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen my new bookshelf. It’s black and red and absolutely gorgeous! 

Lastly I’ve been debating whether or not I should continue reviewing books. I’ve got about 10 or so review books that I still need to read but my regular print books are getting neglected which makes me sad. I miss reading just for fun and not because I need to have a review done before a certain date. I’m still not sure if I am going to still accept review books (it’ll kill me to miss out on all the great days) but it’s definitely something I need to think about.

That’s all for my life update. I’m hoping to have regular blog posts in the future but things never work out the way I want them to when it comes to the blog. 


Oct
2017

5 Tips for Cleaning Your Social Media Profiles

categories: Career, College, General Career Advice, Job Hunting Tips

Remember back when you knew nothing about anyone and had to actually interact with a person to find out more about them? Yeah, I don’t remember so far back either. In today’s age of social media, you can find out much about a person by simply stalking them online. But while this is great for when it comes to checking out your crush, this technique can backfire when it comes to jobs. Employers can reject your simply because of the image you project on social media. Here are five tips to help you clean up your social media presence:

 

1) Rule of thumb: If  you wouldn’t want your gran to see it, don’t put it up. This rule works great for me since I do actually have my grandmother on Facebook. This rule has served me well in social media…mainly because as a teen, I was always getting in trouble for posting something or the other that people deemed offensive.

2) Set your profiles on private: I think this is a great rule since you have some sort of control over who views your profile. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have settings that protect your privacy. However if you work in a field like social media or marketing, doing this may be like shooting yourself in the foot. My Facebook can only be viewed by friends while my Twitter and Instagram are open to the world since I use those accounts for blogging.

3) Google yourself: Googling a person online is the fastest way to learn more about them. Google your name and see what comes up. If there’s anything that could be considered as rude, unprofessional or portrays an image that you don’t want, get rid of it.

4) Delete past posts: Delete posts that are rude, mean or just have a negative air about them. Untag yourself from pictures of alcohol, drugs, that picture of you in the bikini, etc. You don’t want to be seen as a party girl by potential employers (even if that is who you are).

5) Ask a third party to double-check: Get someone you trust to do a Google search on you and evaluate the results as well as checking your social media. Having someone else look through your stuff lets you see how others may view your online presence.

 

While the popularity of social media has killed the concept of privacy, using the tips above can help you use this lack of privacy to your advantage.


Oct
2017

How I Schedule My Blog Posts

categories: Blogging Tips

Since I started work, it has been getting harder and harder to write blog posts. However I think I have some sort of system going now. It is by no means perfect but I’m sharing it hoping it may help you.

Person with laptop

1) Generating Ideas:

I use Trello and OneNote to keep track of my blog post ideas. I basically just make a list of blog ideas in Trello and then expand on them in OneNote. I know I can write the entire blog post out on a Trello card but I am just more comfortable using OneNote. I write down ideas as soon as they come to me so that I don’t forget them. I also use a regular planner so that I can see in print when I want to schedule my posts.

2) Actually Writing the Posts:

Like I said above, I usually use OneNote to write down the blog post. On occasion, I do write the blog post on WordPress. WordPress is my last stop before actually publishing so I make sure that I edit the post here before publishing it. I write blog posts every Saturday or every spare moment I can get.

3) Getting images:

In my opinion, this is where the magic begins. In the last week of the month, I spend an hour or two on Canva, creating images for my blog posts. I know that I usually have a TBR, Book Haul and four book reviews. While the book reviews don’t need any images, the TBR and book haul posts do so these are easy to create. I also use my Trello list of blog ideas to see what blog posts I’m writing for the month and then create those posts.

4) Publishing and Promoting:

In the first week of the new month (eg, first week of October), I combine my blog draft with the Canva images. Voila! A blog post. I read through the post to make sure it reads well, I add the relevant tags and publish. I try and make sure that at the very least, I have four book reviews for the month already queued. Then I use Buffer to schedule social media posts for the week. Honestly I usually just do this the first week and then forget the rest of the month. (Hey, I am trying here. Like I pointed out above, finding time to blog is TRICKY!). On the day that a blog post is published, I promote it on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. I repeat this a week or two later.

My process is not perfect and sometimes I do fall behind. Okay, lots of times. But I’m working on it and I found that having an actual process in place makes it easier to blog. How do you schedule your blog posts? I’d love to know below!


Oct
2017

10 Book to Screen Adaptations That Don’t Suck

categories: Books

Is there anything better than seeing your favourite characters brought to life? Except maybe adaptations that don’t totally suck. Here are my list of 10 book to screen adaptations that don’t mess up the characters and world that we know and love so much.

 

  1. The Harry Potter series: While the Harry Potter series misses out a few details from the book, it still tells enough of the story to entertain and entrance viewers. I have watched it over and over again and I can probably quote it line for line.
  2. Great Expectations (2012): Great Expectations was a painful book for me to read but I absolutely adored the adaptation. Helena Bonam Carter was born to play Miss Havisham. The casting is brilliant and the acting is moving. The gorgeous outfits don’t hurt either.
  3. Beauty and the Beast: Is there a female bookworm who has watched the Disney version and not fallen in love with the library? Is there a bookworm who cannot relate to Belle and her love of reading? The 2017 version with Emma Watson features gorgeous sets, comedy and romance. If you haven’t watched it yet, definitely give it a try.
  4. Twilight: Twilight definitely stayed true to the books (I think). It was one of the first book to screen adaptations that I watched and I enjoyed it immensely. Mainly because I was in love with Robert Pattinson.
  5. Vampire Academy: Vampire Academy carried all the sass, bad-ass-ness and romance found in the series. While only the first book was made into a movie, it was still great fun to watch. Especially to see Rose and Dimitri in reel life.
  6. Divergent: The Divergent film is just as action-packed as the book. It’s impossible to read the book and not want to watch the movie or vice versa.
  7. The Hunger Games: Just as action-packed as Divergent with more twisted killings. It’s a game where you KILL PEOPLE. The horror fan in me is delighted while the human in me is appalled.
  8. Me Before You: The Me Before You adaptation is romantic, moving and heart-wrenching. I cried during it and after it. While the movie leaves out a few small details from the book, it still retains the heart and emotion.
  9. The Vampire Diaries: The Vampire Diaries, while not totally accurate to the book, manages to stand on it’s own. Fans of fantasy will love the plot twists, schemes and the gorgeous cast.
  10. Once Upon a Time: Once Upon a Time is the mother of all adaptations. All the fairytale characters are thrown into the real world where there is no happy ending for them. This show has six seasons and it is still going strong. Definitely watch this if you enjoy fairytale retellings.

Sep
2017

Fiction Friday: Book Review- Christmas at Mistletoe Cove by Holly Martin 

categories: Books, Reviews

Christmas at Mistletoe CoveChristmas at Mistletoe Cove by Holly Martin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eden and Dougie have been best friends since they were kids. Eden has always been in love with Dougie while his feelings for her seem to just be platonic. Now Dougie has moved back home and he is Eden’s neighbour. Desperate to find the girl who once believed in magic, Dougie takes Eden to a magical spot in town where you can have any three wishes granted. Eden doesn’t believe in magic and the only thing she has ever wished for is the one thing she can’t have- Dougie.
As much I was looking forward to this book, I found it pretty predictable. I loved the chemistry between Dougie and Eden. They are undoubtedly my favourite couple in this series. The only flaw in this book is the predictable plot. The character’s are entertaining and funny, the romance is beautiful. This is a great Christmas read that I recommend to anyone who is looking for something sweet and light-hearted.

View all my reviews


Sep
2017

7 Things I Wish I Knew in College

categories: College

The “real world” is completely different from college. Which is odd considering that college is supposed to be your first taste of independence and the world out there. Here are 7 things I wish I knew when I was in college:

1) Your grades don’t matter: This part hit me the most when job-hunting. No one cared that I had great grades or was part of a honour society for students in the top 15% of their field of study. In fact no one seemed to care that I had a degree at all. People just wanted work experience which I didn’t have (and couldn’t get because I had no work experience). Which brings me to my next point:

2) The importance of work experience: No one wants to employ someone with no work experience. Which is ironic because how do you get work experience if no one wants to give you work without prior working experience. It baffles me that this has been going on for a while now and no one has done anything about it.

3) How to work in a team: It’s not that I don’t know how to work in a team. It’s just that I don’t want to. Group projects in college were a total nightmare and we basically divided the entire project into individual parts and then got together to present the entire project. While I may love the team that I work up, it took the introvert in me five months to finally feel comfortable around them. I definitely wish someone had taught me the importance of working in a team.

4) It’s who you know not what you know: Like number 1 on this list, this also hit me hard. Finding a job seems to be more about who you know than what you know. So network network network. You never know who could lead you to your next job. My cousin found her current job because someone saw her searching career websites on her phone and they knew someone who was hiring.

5) You can’t stay at home from work just because you want to: There are many reasons to miss class in college. It’s too cold, too hot, it’s a Friday, you’re hungover, etc. Unfortunately you can’t do this in the real world. Come rain or shine, you have a job to do. While slacking off in college was okay, that kind of behavior could get you fired.

6) Treasure your free time: My holidays and weekends in college were spent complaining about how bored I was. My holidays and weekends as an employed adult are spent running errands or completing chores that I couldn’t do during the week. Free time is no longer a thing.

7) It’s all going to be okay: I was a neurotic wreck in college. I always fretted over the smallest of things (I once printed out an assignment three times because the ridiculous tutor kept changing her mind about the format of the assignment). I would love to tell my past self to relax and breathe, everything will be fine. Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we want it to and that’s okay.

What do you wish you knew when you were in college?


Sep
2017

Fiction Friday: The Law of Tall Girls by Joanne Macgregor

categories: Books, Reviews

The Law of Tall GirlsThe Law of Tall Girls by Joanne Macgregor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Peyton is a very tall girl who makes a bet that she can get a guy who is even taller than her to take her on three dates and the prom. However finding a guy who is taller than her, interesting and single turns out to be a challenge. The number one person on Peyton’s “Tall Guy” list is Jay. But while Jay is taller than Peyton, gorgeous and charming, he is also taken. But when Peyton and Jay are both cast as the leads in the school play (an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet), things might turn a turn in Peyton’s favor. If she can keep all her secrets locked safely away from Jay, that is.
The whole idea of a romance between characters playing Romeo and Juliet in their school play seemed incredibly cliched but Joanne Macgregor carries this out in a wonderfully real way. I loved seeing all the effort that went into the play and the romance happened naturally. Instead of the play driving the romance, both the play and the romance seemed to happen at the same time which was great. As a tall girl, I found this book difficult to get into at first. It just reminded me of my awkward teen years (which I honestly didn’t want to be reminded of now. I’m an adult now. Being tall doesn’t bother me anymore but reading this book brought back alot of those old feelings of inadequacy). However which I got through my tall girl issues, I devoured this book. I loved Peyton and Jay’s character and I loved that their families had such interesting backstories (especially since so few YA novels mention parents and other relatives). This book was funny, entertaining and dealt with real-life issues. I definitely recommend this book to fans of YA contemporary fiction.

View all my reviews


Sep
2017

Handbag Essentials for Work

categories: Career

It was a Friday and we were having a social at work. I had dressed up in a gorgeous leopard-print dress with matching leopard-print pumps and leggings. Everything was going great until the sole of my shoe broke. I had back-up shoes in the car but I was still horrified. How did I- the girl who was prepared for pretty much everything- not have a way of fixing my shoe? Things like this happen and you never know what you need to carry with you until you don’t have that item on you. So here are my handbag essentials for work:

  1. Wallet (with cash in it)- I never go anywhere without my wallet mainly because my wallet contains my driver’s license. However, I have, on occasion, gone out with an empty wallet. Apparently not all the stores take cards (but they really should).
  2. Pen and notebook- You never know when you will need a pen or piece of paper. Especially in the workplace. Don’t be that person that has to borrow from someone else.
  3. Glue- So you don’t have any shoe issues like I did.
  4. Safety pins- To help protect you from any other wardrobe mishaps.
  5. Pain tablets- I always carry pain tablets because I always seem to have a tension headache. It is also helpful if a co-worker has a headache and you have Panado in your bag (I say Panado because I have yet to hear of any harmful side effects. Please don’t share any tablets that may have side effects).
  6. Toiletries- As a female, it is always a good idea to have toiletries in your bag if you or a co-worker may need them.
  7. Tissues/Wet wipes- I just found wet wipes in a store recently and I absolutely love them. I carry both wet wipes and tissues with me. The wet wipes are for when I need to wipe my keyboard or desk and the tissues are for soaking up spills.

What are your handbag essentials for work? Do you have any suggestions that I must have missed out? Let me know below!

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